[foxyshaman]

Identity is tricky for me. I have always thought of myself as a red fox, ever since I was a little girl. Growing up in timberland gave me many opportunities to study foxes. I love being fox. I have nutured my fox self for close to 45 years.

Shamanism has been my gig for many years and I love it. My practice is exceptionally masculine allowing for my face to shapeshift during ceremony or healing work my inner face (male) becoming my outer face (you should see the shock on some of my patient's faces!!). Shamans are in-between persons and have been considered third genders for a long long time. When I first read about that I felt like my floor buckled and someone had reached inside me, turned on a light bulb, and read my soul. I finally fit. I embody third gender from a spiritual perspective. I have attempted to speak of this before in other threads and on other sites. What I have found however, was my claim for 3rd gender was soundly ignored. With a couple nasty PM's. <shrug>. I took it to mean that gender happened for most people in the physical and psychological realms. Where for shamans, it is in our spiritual/physical realm.

I identify as a spiritually minded dirt dog for the freedom. I know I am third gender by spiritual right and practice, but it takes an open mind to accept my designation. Dirt Dog though well, everyone who owns a dog knows that they are forever taking paths that others cannot see, let alone smell. And I know that when I go for a walk, no path ever ends the same as it starts.

That is me. You see a feminine woman. And I love being a woman, it is a funky gender with a nice bag'o'tricks. But what you see is not what you get. And just because a path looks simple and flat, well as a hiker I know that is soooo not true. As a dirt dog I can be whatever path I choose. Get as dirty as I want. Climb as steep as I want. Go as deep as I want. And always, always find my way. I have learnt through this life that every path leads me to exactly where I need to be, even if I don't know where I am going.

If pressed I call myself a Dyke. I love the word. I love the strength of the word. But yeah Fox is my wild nature. Dog is my domesticated nature. Shaman Third Gender is my true self.